What possible impact might this type of assessment have on research related to gender?

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Research from the past century has claimed empirical support for many different hypotheses–that men and women are fundamentally different because of biological reasons; that social influences (cultural factors) are the cause of male-female differences; and that men and women are not very psychologically different at all. Literature reviews and meta-analyses attempt to parse the truth by identifying in research alpha bias, which is the tendency to exaggerate differences, and beta bias, which is the tendency to minimize differences.

Central to an examination of alpha and beta bias related to gender is a concept called androcentrism. This term refers to the practice of placing masculinity or the male gender at the center of a worldview, thus rendering it the “norm.” Feminine or other gender perspectives become, by definition, “other.” Androcentrism may be unconsciously incorporated as the paradigm through which perceptions and judgments are made, influencing research when subtle biases of the researchers or research designs go undetected.

In this Discussion, you will explore potential causes and effects of alpha and beta errors and their impact on research related to gender.

To prepare

· Take the Gender Traits Test in this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on your results.

· Based on the results and on information presented in this week’s Learning Resources, think about how these results may minimize or exaggerate differences between masculine and feminine traits. Examine Figure 4.1 in your course text for a visual representation of the distribution of differences.

By Day 4

Post an explanation regarding how assessments such as the Gender Traits Test relate to alpha and beta errors. Does this type of assessment overemphasize or minimize differences between masculine and feminine traits? What possible impact might this type of assessment have on research related to gender? (Note: You should not disclose your own test score.)

Readings for this week discussion question; Helgeson, V. S. (2017). Psychology of gender (5th ed.). New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.

  • Chapter      4, “Sex-Related Comparisons: Observations” (pp. 121–154)

Hare-Mustin, R. T., & Marecek, J. (1987, August). Gender and the meaning of difference: Alpha and beta bias. In R.T. Hare-Mustin & J. Maracek (Chairs), The future of difference: Representations of gender in psychology. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York, NY. Symposium contribution retrieved from the ERIC database (Accession No. ED292002).

Bem, S. L. (1997). Transforming the debate on sexual inequality: From biological difference to institutionalized androcentrism. PTN – Psychology Teacher Network, 7(3), 2–4. doi:10.1037/e511152010-002

Hyde, J. S. (2005). The gender similarities hypothesis. American Psychologist, 60(6), 581–592. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.6.581

Hyde, J. S. (2005). The gender similarities hypothesis. American Psychologist, 60(6), 581–592. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.6.581

Androgyne Online. (2012). Gender traits test. Retrieved from http://www.afifthofnothing.com/gendertest.html

What is perception?

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Discussions are fundamental to shared learning, so please be sure to participate early and often!

After you have completed the Reading, and without reviewing your classmate’s responses, post your initial response to the following Discussion. Your post should be at least 200-250 words in length and should extend the discussion of the group supported by your course materials and/or other appropriate resources.

After you have submitted your initial post, take time to review your classmates’ responses and to respond specifically and substantially to at least two of them. Refer to the Discussion Rubric in Course Resources for specific grading explanation.

Perception

In this unit you learned about perception, with a particular emphasis on visual perception.

This week you will be discussing what you have learned about perception and why it is important for psychologists to understand. Please make sure you answer all parts of the questions below.

RESPONSE 1 AMANDA:What is perception?
Perception is when we use our senses to become aware of a situation or something that we know. It can be something that we have learned from previous experience or something that we see, smell, or hear. There are two types of perceptual stimuli. Distal stimulus is the actual object that you see, and proximal stimulus is the information that registers when you see that object.
Understanding perception is important because it helps psychologists to understand how a person feels about their environment and how they feel about it based on previous experiences. If someone has had a bad experience with the ocean, they may not view it as beautiful place to visit on vacation. It would bring up negative feelings and seem scary or dreadful to them. Perception can help a psychologist to help change the person’s perception of the ocean to a more favorable one.
It is also important to know what bottom up and top down processing is. Top down processing is when we store information from past experiences or previous knowledge to understand what we perceive. Bottom up processing is when we perceive our environment strictly from what is going on around us.

Matlin, Margaret W., Thomas Farmer. Cognition, 9th Edition. Wiley, 2016. [Purdue University Global Bookshelf].

RESPONSE 2 DANAE:Perception is the way that we interpret information from our senses. Perception uses knowledge previously learned, memory and sensory stimuli to enable you to understand information presented or the environment. To make sense of the world around you perception uses the top down bottom up method to process information. Bottom up processing processes information as it comes in. Sort of like data collection of information. Top down method refers to how we process information that our brain has stored previously and recognizes (Matlin, Farmer 2016). I think that perception is important for psychologists to understand because it is the way that we as individuals make sense of the world around us using our senses. In working with people on a case by case bases our perceptions are unique and can drastically differ. It is important for psychologists to have a good understanding of perception to better communicate to the clients views and understanding and serve them from that point. If you cannot see and understand things from another’s perception therapy might not be successful.

References

Matlin, W. M., Farmer, A. T. (2016)., 9th Edition Cognition, Retrieved from https://purdueuniversityglobal.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781119177678/cfi/6/38!/4/2/4/1106/2/2@0:93.7

Gender bias

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Gender bias is a form of discrimination and prejudice against another sex (Helgeson, 2017).  Gender bias exists in businesses practice, and in work-related issues. The issues involve women and men pay scales, interview questions, and sexual harassment (Helgeson, 2017).

Gender fairness is still a pertinent matter regardless of many of the improvements in society. Sexual harassment and bigotry still happen in the lives of girls and women, and even males. Gender Bias is challenging and requires new laws and policies to avoid the practice (Eagly & Wood, 2013).

Is the article gender bias or motherhood disadvantages? Judgments of blue color mothers, and fathers in the workplace. The information mentions statement referring to gender bias such as “the ideal worker applicant is a single male with no child” (Güngör & Biernat, 2009). In 2005 the women made up 46% of the workforce, 68.1% were married women, and 79.8% were single mothers. The indication is that motherhood had a negative influence on the estimation of the female applicant. The bias is that mothers are the target of negative perceptions in the workplace. The premise of the study represents that single people and fathers are more reliable in the workplace than mothers who are viewed as unreliable. (Güngör & Biernat, 2009).

The hypothesis of the study is that female applicant are less committed and less likely to remain in the employed position than males (Güngör & Biernat, 2009).

The other hypothesis is that female is less likely to be hired than male’s applicants. The study indicates that parents are viewed as less available than non-parents which is a bias assumption (Güngör & Biernat, 2009). The comparison of men and women in the workplace is the examples of similarities and the difference in the bias analysis (Hyde, 2014). The traits listed for the applicants are productive, trustworthy, likable, warmth, hardworking, and intelligent.

How the researcher(s) might address these issues

Unconscious bias or blind bias impacts research analysis, because the research is considering the new researcher but is influenced by prior witnessed examples. The researcher can also consider options to help business support women and men with children by offering on-site daycare, and facilities that care for children with the minor illness.

The solutions can also consist of a reward system to encourage attendance and work productivity. The solutions can also include the options to work from home if a parent has a sick child or another emergency which affect attendance in the workplace.

References

Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (2013). The nature-nurture debates: 25 years of challenges in understanding the psychology of gender. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8(3), 340–357. doi:10.1177/1745691613484767

Helgeson, V. S. (2017). Psychology of gender (5th ed.). New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.

Hyde, J. S. (2014). Gender similarities and differences. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 373–398. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115057

Güngör, G.  Biernat, M. (2009). Gender Bias or Motherhood Disadvantage? Judgments of Blue Collar Mothers and Fathers in the Workplace. Sex Roles. Vol. 60 Issue 3-4, p232-246. 15p. 2 Charts, 2 Graphs. DOI: 10.1007/s11199-008-9540-1.

Create speaker notes for each slide describing the main talking points for the topic addressed in the slide.

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n this assignment, you will create a presentation addressing how gender identity is formed, the scientific evidence for the differences between the genders, and the various influences (biological, social, and cultural) that affect these differences.

Assume you are making a presentation as part of a national symposium on gender development. Your contribution will serve as the introductory presentation to provide context to the symposium and your copresenters. The target audience for this project is the research community.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research how gender identity is formed.

Develop a presentation that addresses the following:

  • Introduction: Overview of presentation
  • The history of the study of gender
  • Ways in which gender is studied
  • Psychological theories about gender development
  • Relative roles of biological, social, and cultural influences on gender (such as stereotyping and discrimination)
  • Scientific evidence for gender differences in the following areas:
    • School and work
    • Relationships and sexuality
    • Health and wellness
    • Stress, coping, and psychopathology
  • Conclusions that forecast the landscape for gender development at work and home, and in political arenas and initiatives in the coming years

Be sure to cover the following in your presentation:

  • Include a title slide and a slide with references.
  • Start each slide with a statement about the topic of the slide, and then include several bullet points to support your initial statement.
  • Create speaker notes for each slide describing the main talking points for the topic addressed in the slide.
  • Include information from your personal experiences and the readings reviewed in the course.
  • Provide proper credit to sources and write in a formal and organized fashion.
  • At a minimum, cite the online course and the textbook. Additional sources are welcome. Scholarly sources are preferred and can be found through Argosy University online library resources.
  • You may also cite nonscholarly references from reputable Web and print sources. For reputable Web sources, look for .org, .net, or .edu sites as opposed to .com sites. Be sure to avoid Wikipedia.

Develop a 10–12-slide presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A1.ppt.